Russia's Putin announces an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine until end of Sunday

🌟The Bright Side: Christians worldwide celebrate Easter amid joy, war, and resilience

From jubilant crowds in Vatican City to solemn prayers in war-torn regions, Christians across the globe celebrated Easter Sunday. Pope Francis made a surprise appearance in Rome, while believers in places like Ukraine and Lebanon observed the holiday amid conflict and recovery....

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaching Easter truce

Russia and Ukraine on April 20 accused each other of violating an Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. France 24's Douglas Herbert tells us more....

Russia is creating 'impression of a ceasefire' while continuing attacks, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Russia’s declared Easter ceasefire is a facade, citing continued shelling, drone strikes and assaults along the front. Despite Moscow’s claims of restraint, Kyiv reported 59 instances of Russian shelling attacks, questioning the Kremli...

War in Ukraine: Kyiv says Moscow violated Easter truce

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on April 20 of creating a false appearance of honoring an Easter ceasefire, saying Moscow continued to launch attacks overnight after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral temporary truce in Ukraine....

Israelis protest continuing Gaza war, Netanyahu vows to keep pressure on Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced again on April 19 that Israel has “no choice” but to continue fighting in Gaza and will not end the war before destroying Hamas, freeing the hostages and ensuring that the territory won’t present a threat to Israel....

Zelensky commits to Easter truce, accuses Russia of breaking it

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused Russian forces of continuing to carry out attacks on its soil despite a surprise Easter ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky has said that Ukraine will respect the truce, which is set to expire Sunday evening....

European weapons in Sudan (4/5): 'The RSF bombs public buildings, markets, and hospitals'

From a Bulgarian factory to Sudanese militias, the FRANCE 24 Observers team reveals how European-made ammunition ended up on the Sudanese battlefield, despite a European Union embargo on sending weapons to this war-torn country. This fourth article in our five-part investigation sheds light on the...

Putin's Easter ceasefire will be ‘cautiously observed’ by Ukrainians

Residents of Kyiv erred on the side of caution on Saturday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a one-day ceasefire in Ukraine. "It will be cautiously observed", said FRANCE 24's Emmanuelle Chaze reporting live from the ground. "Let's not forget that on the US proposal, Ukraine had agre...

Putin announces an Easter ceasefire as Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of POWs

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary Easter ceasefire in Ukraine starting on April 19, citing humanitarian reasons, as Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds of captured soldiers in the largest exchange since Moscow's full-scale invasion started over...

Ukraine accuses Russia of breaching Easter ceasefire with ongoing attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia broke its ceasefire promise and continues to carry out attacks “on several frontline sectors” despite a one-day ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The truce was meant to start on Saturday evening and last...

Russia's Putin declares unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, ordering his forces to end hostilities at 6pm Moscow time on Saturday until the end of Sunday. France 24's Douglas Herbert tells us more....

US: Donald Trump says will 'pass' on Ukraine talks if too difficult

President Donald Trump on April 18 said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding war. Trump spoke shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US may “move on” from tryi...

US Supreme Court pauses deportations of Venezuelan migrants under wartime law

The US Supreme Court issued a brief order early Saturday temporarily blocking the deportation of Venezuelan migrants detained in northern Texas. While US President Donald Trump has justified the mass detention and deportation of migrants under an 18th century wartime law, the Supreme Court has rule...

European weapons in Sudan (3/5): The mercenaries who travelled through Libya

From a Bulgarian factory to Sudanese militias, the FRANCE 24 Observers team reveals how European-made ammunition ended up on the Sudanese battlefield, despite a European Union embargo on sending weapons to this war-torn country. In this third article of our five-part investigation, we take a look a...

US will drop Ukraine ceasefire efforts if progress is not made soon, says Trump

The United States will walk away from efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting, unless there are clear signs of progress soon, US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. ...

‘She kissed the ground .. & she liked it’ Space rides, Ukraine, Iran & What is a woman?

A week on from Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Putin, Witkoff has been in Paris for transatlantic talks. We assess the state of play for peace talks. We look at the significance of US-Iran nuclear talks, the first major level of engagement in years. We discuss the significa...

France: snowfalls wreak deadly havoc in the Alps

On Thursday, April 17, 2025, a series of avalanches struck the French Alps following an intense spring snowstorm, resulting in the death of a 27-year-old British man at the Val Thorens ski resort. Authorities closed the resort and issued avalanche warnings across the region, advising residents and...

Moscow's next target? Heeding Estonia's call for more defence spending

The Baltic nation of Estonia has been calling for a significant boost in EU defence spending for years and is now seeing that call heeded. Sharing a 300-kilometre border with Russia, Estonia would be on the front lines in case of an invasion. Tallinn has committed to bump up the country's defence...

JD Vance says he is 'optimistic' about Ukraine peace deal at Meloni meeting

US Vice President JD Vance on Friday met with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome to discuss tariffs and a ceasefire in Ukraine, ahead of celebrating Easter at the Vatican. Vance said he would discuss the ceasefire negotiations with Meloni, adding that he felt "optimistic" about bringing...

Meloni in the US: Beyond 'speculation' of an EU rift, Italy sets sights on a 'zero tariff' agreement

Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni struck an optimistic tone on a potential US-EU tariffs deal as the Italian prime minister launched a charm offensive at the White House. The two far-right leaders shared warm words, with Trump calling Meloni "fantastic." Casting herself as the only European able to d...

Ukraine and US sign minerals 'memorandum' amid reconstruction talks

Ukraine and the US signed a "memorandum of intent" on Thursday to advance a deal granting Washington access to Kyiv’s natural resources and critical minerals, Ukraine said. The pact aims to foster an economic partnership and create a reconstruction fund, Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko sai...

A tale of 'two far-right leaders': Meloni and Trump's relationship with democracy in the 'grey zone'

Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni hit an optimistic note about a possible US-EU tariffs deal as the far-right Italian prime minister mounted a charm offensive at the White House. Casting herself as the only European who can de-escalate Trump's trade war, Meloni highlighted their conservative common g...

Europe gains seat at table as US pushes peace plan on Ukraine

As discussions about Ukraine took place in Paris between Emmanuel Macron and several American envoys, Europe also joined the negotiating table. Marco Rubio praised the European proposals, a positive sign according to our international editor Erin Ogunkeye, even though no concrete progress was annou...

Russia strikes Ukraine’s Kharkiv as Rubio warns US could drop peace effort

Overnight Russian drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Sumy have killed at least two people and wounded dozens more, Ukrainian authorities said Friday. The strikes come as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US could “move on” from Ukraine-Russia peace efforts...

European weapons in Sudan (2/5): A €50 million Emirati contract

From a Bulgarian factory to Sudanese militias, the FRANCE 24 Observers team reveals how European-made ammunition ended up on the Sudanese battlefield, despite a European Union embargo on sending weapons to this war-torn country. This second article in our five-part investigation focuses on Interna...

Hamas rejects Israel's latest ceasefire proposal, calls for comprehensive deal

Hamas on Thursday rejected Israel's latest truce offer, demanding a "comprehensive" deal to end the 18-month war. The group's chief negotiator spoke after Gaza rescuers said Israeli strikes killed at least 40 people, mostly women and children, in renewed attacks....

Ukraine, US sign 'memorandum of intent' on critical minerals deal

Ukraine and the US signed a "memorandum of intent" on Thursday to advance a deal granting Washington access to Kyiv’s natural resources and critical minerals, Ukraine said. The pact aims to foster an economic partnership and create a reconstruction fund, Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko sai...

🔴 Ukraine, US sign 'memorandum of intent' on resources deal

Sudan faces world's worst displacement crisis as country enters third year of war

Sudan on Tuesday marked two years of a war that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 13 million and triggered the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, violence continues in the city of El Fasher. At least 57 civilians have been killed in just one day. Jens Laerke, deputy spok...

Ukrainians see minerals deal as 'typical of Trump's gangster-style diplomacy', observer says

Trump on Thursday said he doesn't hold Zelenskyy "responsible" for Russia's invasion of his country but continued to criticize the Ukrainian leader. Trump added Thursday that a deal with Ukraine on extracting the war-wracked country's strategic minerals could be reached next week. We speak to Kyiv...